Industry often has requirements to lift and transport containers. Many freight yards and ocean shipping docks use cranes of various types with lifting cables that attach to the corner brackets that are found on most shipping containers. Methods and apparatus for lifting and transporting containers are known and, heretofore, have been configured in different ways. Some examples of container handling systems in the prior art are seen in the following U.S. patents:
Dousset, U.S. Pat. No. 3,541,598, shows two end-fitted structures, called portals, which are wheeled and have hydraulic jacks. They are attached at upper and lower corners of the container. There are no longitudinal frame elements, only transverse ones. The container thus serves as a structural frame, and must be strong enough to support typically up to 15,000 pounds of cargo. There is no method or apparatus for moving and positioning the portals from the vehicle to the container, and back. This is apparently done by hand, a difficult and dangerous task. There is no structure to quickly and safely lock the portals onto the vehicle for transport, with or without the container.
Fossing, U.S. Pat. No. 5,006,031, also uses two structures, but they are connected together after lifting. The two-wheeled sections, with hydraulic jacks, are attached to the longitudinal sides of the container, not the ends. Cross pieces are connected beneath the container. The attachment brackets have an H-shape.
Bury, U.S. Pat. No. 3,881,689, discloses a four-sided frame for lifting camper bodies. It is U-shaped to fit around the body and has a cross bar fitted across the open end. The jacks are mechanical, and raise the container with respect to the frame. There is no method or apparatus for moving and positioning the frame from the vehicle to the body, and back. The camper body cannot be lowered to the ground. The frame must be dismantled by hand and stored or carried on the vehicle.
Dafnis, U.S. Pat. No. 2,197,375, illustrates a wheeled lifter and transporter for railroad cars. The frame is disposed over the top of the container, not around it. Hydraulic jacks fit below projecting brackets on the car, raising the car with respect to the frame. There is no transport vehicle.
Lion, U.S. Pat. No. 2,937,879, shows a container with built-in hydraulic jacks with wheels, at each corner. The container structure serves as a frame. There is no transport vehicle.
Fulmer, U.S. Pat. No. 3,243,193, discloses an attachable running gear to be fitted to the ends of a container. It consists of a pair of brackets and wheels. The brackets are attached to the ends of the container, then connected together underneath. Hydraulic jacks raise the container.
Concha, U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,068, also discloses an attachable running gear to be fitted to the ends of a container. It consists of a pair of brackets and wheels, with hydraulic jacks.
Gross, U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,966, illustrates a liftable and transportable rack for stackable cargo. There is no closed container or box-like structure. A pair of wheeled brackets with hydraulic jacks fit into the rack ends.
Riedl, U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,594, displays four separate wheel and jack assemblies that are attached to the corners of the container. The jacks are rack and pinion type. The assemblies are not interconnected.
Fulmer, Concha, Riedl, and Fossing show no transport vehicle. The wheels mounted to the container form a trailer.
While the above-described inventions serve to lift and move a container, they are awkward to position around the container. They show difficulty in moving the frame and container into position. The prior art devices disclose no way of changing the width of the frame to provide clearance around the vehicle. They have no way of releasably attaching the frame to the vehicle for safe transport.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide a means for easy positioning of the frame around the container, and for moving and positioning the frame and the container together.
There is a further need to provide a method to adjust the width of the frame under power to clear the vehicle and the container when moving and positioning the frame.
There is a yet further need to provide a means for releasably attaching the frame to the vehicle for safe transport.